1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to the field of dampening vibrations, and more particularly to a method and system for information handling system cooling fan vibration dampening.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Information handling systems having played an important role in improving worker and individual productivity by automating tasks and performing complex computations. For instance, information handling systems commonly perform day-to-day operations in banks, libraries, research facilities, homes and other locations where workers and individuals spend significant amounts of time in quiet thought to accomplish complex tasks. Information handling systems assist by quietly tracking financial transactions and inventory, by acting as word processors that record research results or by connecting to networks to transfer valuable information on a timely basis. Under a number of circumstances in which information handling systems operate, quiet operation is an important consideration for users.
One difficulty with keeping information handling system operations as quiet as possible is that the electronic components that perform or support information handling tend to generate heat that typically must be removed by cooling fans in order to ensure proper operation. Cooling fans often represent the greatest noise producing component of an information handling system. As information handling systems have grown more powerful with greater power consumption and faster operating speeds, the need for cooling has increased, leading to the use of more powerful cooling fans that operate at higher speeds and for greater time periods. To reduce the vibration and related noise of cooling fans, cooling fans are typically installed into information handling systems with vibration dampers, such as elastic washers or grommets that absorb vibrations, such as rubber inserts. However, these vibration dampening pieces increase the complexity of manufacturing information handling systems since they are often small pieces that are manually installed with cooling fans.